Baylor
New Mexico
Bears Fall To Lobos
9/14/2002 12:00:00 AM | Football
Sept 14, 2002
By PETE HERRERA
AP Sports Writer
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. - Quincy Wright's halfback option pass and New Mexico's blitzing defense Saturday led the Lobos to a 23-0 win over Baylor.
It was a costly win for the Lobos (2-2), who may have lost Wright - the nation's third leading rusher - for the season with a knee injury.
Wright, averaging 158.3 yards a game, left late in the first quarter with a possible torn ligament in his left knee.
Baylor (1-2) was no match for New Mexico's defense. The Bears had had five straight games of 400 total yards or more dating to last season, but could muster just 32 yards in the first half and 107 for the game, most of those coming after New Mexico had a 20-0 lead early in the fourth quarter.
Wright's pass to tight end Bryan Penley with 11:43 left in the first quarter produced the only points of the first half. It followed a fumbled punt by Baylor's Bobby Hart, which New Mexico's Domingo Villarruel recovered at the Bears' 18.
Without Wright, the Lobos' offense struggled and stumbled through the first half. New Mexico missed two field goals and quarterback Casey Kelly fumbled away another scoring opportunity, the ball stripped away as he tried to dive into the Baylor end zone in the final minute of the first quarter.
But New Mexico's defense made up for the Lobos' offensive problems by sacking Baylor quarterback Aaron Karas four times and forcing three fumbles.
A fumble by Karras on the Bears' first possession of the second half was recovered by defensive end D.J. Renteria at the Baylor 6 and three plays later freshman DonTrell Moore scored from the 3. Moore, Wright's replacement, finished with 93 yards.
Renteria has recovered a fumble in each of the Lobos' four games.
Backup kicker Matt Goldstein booted three field goals in the second half. The second one, from 32 yards, followed a fumble by Baylor halfback Jonathan Golden at the Bears' 24. Golden, who last week set a school record with six touchdowns in the Bears' 50-12 win over Samford, finished with 13 yards on 12 carries.
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